David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Wins Perk Up Joey King & Gophers

Posted on February 26, 2016February 26, 2016 by David Shama

Joey King appreciates supportive Gophers fans but pays minimal attention to critics.

The Gophers’ senior forward is focusing on his last three regular season games during a career that has seen both praise and criticism of him and his teammates. As the only native Minnesotan playing significant minutes, King may receive more mean-spirited comments on social media and elsewhere than his teammates. It sometimes seems like the hometown crazies will pounce first and with more venom on local athletes.

“I do my best to avoid them (the critics),” King told Sports Headliners. “Throughout my career I’ve had so much respect for people that have stuck with us through our ups and our downs. Those are the people that I celebrate success with. …”

Perhaps no time during King’s career was the celebration more special than earlier this month when the Gophers (with a 0-13 Big Ten record) stunned the college basketball world by upsetting top-10 ranked Maryland. After the game King and teammates celebrated with Gophers fans who stormed the court at Williams Arena.

“The people that are left in the arena after our games are (among) the people that love us,” King said. “They just understand that this locker room has got a lot of character, and even though we have lost a few games here and there, we’ve continued to fight. Now we’re starting to reap some of the benefits from that. We’re starting to win some games. We’re starting to feel good about ourselves.”

The Gophers have won two straight after following up the Maryland win with a victory over Rutgers last Tuesday night. King, the team’s only senior, was a major contributor in both games. The 6-9 forward from Eagan had six rebounds and 15 points including key free throws in the Maryland game. He matched that point total against Rutgers and also had seven rebounds.

“Starting to get my shot back,” King said. “That feels good. Went through a little bit of a slump earlier this year.”

King, who played his freshman season at Drake in Des Moines, is having the best season of his college career for points and rebounds—averaging 11.6 points and 3.7 rebounds. His free throw percentage of .888 is a college best, too.

In three seasons playing for the Gophers King has shown relentless effort. Whether diving for loose balls, or playing to near exhaustion, King has been an exceptional competitor.

With only three regular season games remaining including at Illinois on Sunday, he hopes to improve his skills. The other night he talked about learning new ways to get off his shots, and how he has become more adept at jumping into passing lanes on defense to steal the ball.

As a sophomore two seasons ago King played on a Gophers’ team that didn’t qualify for the NCAA Tournament but did win the NIT. Last season’s club, a preseason favorite to finish in the Big Ten’s first division, stumbled to a 6-12 Big Ten record and didn’t participate in postseason play.

With a 2-13 Big Ten record and 8-19 overall, this year has been a major disappointment. Minnesota hopes to close with more wins and then add to the total in the Big Ten Tournament but the Gophers don’t figure to be in any postseason tournaments. Instead, they’re trying to finish strong and build momentum for spring workouts and next season.

How does King feel about being on a team that has won only two conference games? “I don’t really think about that anymore,” he said. “I’ve erased it.

“Now that we’ve got two in a row I am not going to dwell on the past. We’re really not going to let anyone get in our heads in regards to that.

“We’re not going to be completely fired up that we have two wins in a row. We obviously have three big ones left and we want to try and win out. …I am just looking forward to trying to steal a road win at Illinois.”

Gophers Basketball Notes

At home in January the Gophers lost in overtime to Illinois, 76-71. “I thought we had that game won and we gave it away at the foul line,” said Minnesota coach Richard Pitino. “Did a couple of silly things at the end.”

Freshman forward Jordan Murphy is emerging as a team leader. “I am really trying to make my voice heard and stuff like that,” he said. “I am just really trying to get our guys going. Just let them know I am here with them. I am supporting them.”

Murphy is tied with Michigan State’s Matt Costello for third in rebounding among Big Ten players. They are averaging 8.1 rebounds per game in combined Big Ten and nonconference games. Purdue’s Caleb Swanigan and Iowa’s Adam Woodbury are averaging 8.5 and 8.3 respectively, so it’s possible Murphy could finish first among Big Ten players.

Gophers freshmen next season will include Hopkins High School guard Amir Coffey. “He’ll be one of the best freshmen in the league,” Rivals.com Gophers basketball writer Ryan James told Sports Headliners.

James said Coffey, 6-6, could average eight to 10 points, four to five rebounds and three assists playing 20 minutes or more during his first season with the Gophers. He also praised Coffey, the son of former Gophers center Richard Coffey, for his defensive skills including shot blocking.

Apple Valley High School junior guard Gary Trent Jr. is one of the most coveted players nationally in the high school class of 2017. Although the Gophers were the second school to offer a scholarship (Texas Tech was first), James doubts Trent will ultimately choose Minnesota. “He’ll probably go to (one of) those big-name programs, I would assume,” James said.

Trent’s teammate, sophomore guard Tre Jones, is another player that interests Minnesota but the competition is stiff including from Duke where older brother Tyus attended school. “A lot of people think it’s Duke (as Jones’ college choice)) because there’s obviously been interest there but he‘s never said anything like that,” James said.

Ex-Gophers coach Tubby Smith is in his third season at Texas Tech, and although he and his staff continue to recruit the state of Minnesota for prep players, they have no commitments yet. James said Shakopee High School senior forward Steffon Mitchell has received lots of attention from Tech but James has no indication Mitchell will become the first Minnesotan to join Smith in Lubbock.

Gophers basketball attendance for home games is on the decline. With one remaining regular season game, Minnesota is averaging 10,175 for 17 games—11th lowest in the 14-team Big Ten. The Gophers haven’t sold out a single game in 14,625 seat Williams Arena and have reported only one crowd of more than 12,000. Last season the home attendance average was 12,188.

It was three years ago tonight that the Gophers upset No. 1 ranked Indiana at Williams Arena, 77-73. Minnesota went on to win only two of its last six games including an NCAA Tournament loss to Florida, and Smith was fired as coach.

Dick Jonckowski, the public address announcer in his 30th season working Gophers game at Williams Arena, will be a guest on WCCO TV’s Rosen Sports Show this Sunday. Jonckowski was presented with a No. 30 Gophers maroon basketball jersey earlier this month that has his name on it. During a presentation at halftime of the Maryland game he received a standing ovation from fans.

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Wild & GM Face Playoff Pressure

Posted on February 24, 2016February 24, 2016 by David Shama

Chuck Fletcher has hired three head coaches for the Wild including interim boss John Torchetti who took over earlier this month for the fired Mike Yeo. A hockey source knowledgeable about the NHL told Sports Headliners that Fletcher, the Wild’s general manager, could be dismissed if the club doesn’t make the playoffs this spring.

The source, who asked that his name not be used, believes Fletcher is under scrutiny by owner Craig Leipold. Fletcher, who was named the team’s general manager in 2009, hired Todd Richards as his first coach shortly after coming to Minnesota. Richards was let go and replaced by Yeo in 2011. Like any general manager, Fletcher will be evaluated for his coaching hires, personnel decisions and overall performance by the team.

The Wild has been unable to make a deep playoff run during the Fletcher era and twice didn’t qualify for the postseason. This year’s team has underachieved and it’s debatable whether Minnesota will qualify for the playoffs. Under Yeo the Wild struggled this winter with goal scoring, and players seemed uptight on the ice.

The Wild impressed winning its first four games under Torchetti who was promoted from Minnesota’s Iowa farm team. The Wild’s roster is talented enough to make the playoffs but the club’s spotty play—including eight consecutive home losses prior to Yeo’s dismissal—has agitated fans.

The source said the Wild may want to raise ticket prices for next season, but a non-playoff spring wouldn’t effectively position a price hike with customers. The club’s winning streak ended in last night’s 4-1 loss to the Islanders. More will be learned about Torchetti and the team after road games Thursday and Friday against the Flyers and Capitals. The interim coach’s fate could be determined by whether Minnesota qualifies for the playoffs.

The Wild are coming off a high from last Sunday’s 6-1 Stadium Series win against the Blackhawks at TCF Bank Stadium. Although the franchise has long promoted itself as representing the “State of Hockey,” Sunday’s game was the first time the NHL allowed the Wild to host an outdoor contest. The reason? The club’s lackluster won-lost records and image season after season.

The Wild, no doubt, would like to some day host a January 1 NHL Winter Classic, an even more prestigious outdoor game than the Stadium Series. The impressive way the organization handled Sunday’s game will help the cause but there might be a problem. That game didn’t sell out, and Leipold said in the February 21 Star Tribune a reason was because the NHL sent 4,000 tickets to his club on late notice. The Sports Headliners source said the NHL office didn’t like the publicity, and he added that last minute tickets were available for half the face value price.

Worth Noting

The Wild’s next home game is Sunday against the Panthers, the only franchise never to win a regular season game at Xcel Energy Center. All-time Minnesota is 6-0-2 at home against Florida.

The University of Minnesota received $800,000 in rent for last Sunday’s Wild-Blackhawks Stadium Series game.

It was 36 years ago today that the U.S. Olympic Hockey team won its gold medal game against Finland. The “Miracle on Ice” roster included Minnesota players and was led by legendary ex-Gophers coach Herb Brooks. The trainer was Gary Smith who is now working with Eden Prairie High School teams.

Ex-Gophers head football coach Jerry Kill spoke at an NFL seminar in Tampa last Saturday. Speakers included former Gophers quarterback and Vikings assistant coach Tony Dungy who will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer. Kill told Sports Headliners he will be in Fort Worth next week to help his friend Gary Patterson, the TCU head coach, evaluate the Horned Frogs.

Gophers football coach Tracy Claeys speaks to the CORES luncheon group on Thursday, March 10 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington, 1114 American Blvd. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans. Reservations and more information are available by contacting Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net.

Minnesota’s first spring football practice is next Tuesday. The annual spring game starts at 12:45 p.m. on April 9 at TCF Bank Stadium.

Gophers’ freshman forward Jordan Murphy earned his eighth double-double of the season last night in Minnesota’s 83-61 win over Rutgers at Williams Arena. He had 19 points and 14 rebounds. That performance followed up on last week’s 17 points and game-high 11 rebounds in Minnesota’s upset win over top-10 nationally ranked Maryland.

Big Ten career scoring leader Rachel Banham plays her last regular season home game tonight for the Gophers against Ohio State. She and fellow seniors Mikayla Bailey and Shayne Mullaney will be recognized in front of an appreciative crowd. Draftsite.com has projected Banham as the first pick in the second round of the 2016 WNBA Draft.

Yesterday would have been the 61st birthday of former Timberwolves coach and executive Flip Saunders who died last fall.

Former AWA tag team champions Jim Brunzell and Greg Gagne will sign autographs Saturday as part of the Triple Crown Sports Show at Southtown Center in Bloomington. The “High Flyers” will be available from noon to 2 p.m. Show hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Reader Bob Klas, Jr. noted that among the more obscure Minnesota pro sports franchises not mentioned in Monday’s Sports Headliners column was a short-lived professional bowling team—the Twin Cities Skippers who were part of the National Bowling League and competed at a Bloomington facility that later became the Carlton Celebrity Room. “San Antonio had the good sense not to spend a dime on a facility for their team, as they played every match on the road,” Klas wrote in an e-mail.

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No Escaping Franchises’ Wanderlust

Posted on February 22, 2016February 22, 2016 by David Shama

A trip to southern California reminded me about the nomadic ways of sports franchises. Chargers board chair Dean Spanos has put on hold plans to vacate San Diego and play in Los Angeles—contemplating at least one final attempt for a private-publicly funded stadium in his NFL city.

Thank the Lord it only cost a billion dollars to keep the Vikings in Minneapolis.

When I started thinking about the franchise history of Minnesota’s professional sports teams, I got a bad case of the yips. Vikings, Twins, North Stars, Lakers—yikes! No wonder my right hand shakes while I try to hold a cup of coffee.

American sports teams can move around like doughnut franchises. The NBA’s Kings, for example, started as the Rochester Royals. They became the Cincinnati Royals, and later the Kansas City Kings, before emerging as the Sacramento Kings.

Baseball’s Braves had a long stay in Boston before a sometimes glorious run in Milwaukee during the 1950s and ‘60s. They broke many hearts in Dairyland by relocating to Georgia where those ambitious Braves are counting down the days before moving into their third stadium in greater Atlanta.

Long ago the football Cardinals played second string to the Bears in Chicago and flirted with a move to Minnesota before landing in St. Louis. Then the Cardinals decided Arizona was a better place to roost. St. Louis got its revenge by taking the Rams from L.A. That lasted until last month when the NFL approved a Rams return to southern California where they will play in a new palace said to be the next big thing among football stadiums.

Most Vikings fans could care less about the Rams, who every couple of decades jilt either L.A. or St. Louis. But Purple Nation is still rejoicing that Los Angeles, without any football for about 20 years, didn’t lure the Vikings to southern California where now either the Oakland Raiders (previously the L.A. Raiders) or the Chargers (long ago the L.A. Chargers) might join the Rams in that new palace in suburban Inglewood.

While you may not hate L.A., I do! I remember Los Angeles took the Lakers away from Minneapolis in 1960. To me, it was like the baseball Dodgers moving from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. The Lakers won five pro championships in Minneapolis, and became a dynasty again in the 1960s and beyond playing in southern California. This town lost some phenomenal basketball when it missed out on watching Lakers superstars Elgin Baylor and Jerry West in the 1960s.

Not that this area can claim purity in chasing franchises from another city. Major league baseball began here in 1961 when the Senators moved from Washington, D.C. That was the lowly Senators franchise from Damn Yankees Broadway fame who by 1960 was still losing lots of games but loading up with promising big leaguers. In 1965 players like Harmon Killebrew, Bob Allison and Camilo Pascual helped form the core of a Twins team that lost to the Dodgers in the World Series.

Less than 15 years later Twins owner Calvin Griffith was interested in abandoning Met Stadium, a facility the Vikings also pronounced inadequate. The Met’s sightlines and smaller seating capacity favored baseball but Griffith knew that at least for awhile he could make more money in a new ballpark. As for the Vikings, rumors persisted they might move to Memphis—not only the home of Elvis Presley, but where Purple general manager Mike Lynn worked before coming north.

The Metrodome opened in 1982 and saved both the Twins and Vikings for Minnesota—at least for awhile. By 1997 Twins owner Carl Pohlad let it be known North Carolina could be the franchise’s next stop. Pohlad wanted a baseball only stadium for his team and there was no disputing the Teflon topped dome was a better home for the Vikings than the Twins. Eventually the Twins and Hennepin County came up with $545 million to build Target Field and keep major league baseball here.

By the late 1990s the Vikings were also grumbling about the dome and its limited gameday revenues. As the years went by the franchise’s frustrations increased and so did rumors about moving to Los Angeles. But in 2012 the state of Minnesota, the Vikings, and city of Minneapolis pledged to build the U.S. Bank Stadium that opens this summer.

Memories and wounds from the relocation of the North Stars by villainous owner Norm Green are still vivid. Serenaded by departing choruses from fans of “Norm Green sucks!”, the North Stars’ last season in Minnesota was in 1992-1993—just two years after losing to the Penguins in the Stanley Cup finals. The state of hockey was left without an NHL team when the Stars skated off to Dallas.

For years the North Stars, like the Minneapolis Lakers before them, complained about their home facility. The North Stars wanted more suites and other revenue enhancements at Met Center. The Lakers were bedeviled by frustrations in finding dates and scheduling games at the Minneapolis Auditorium. The community didn’t do enough to help both franchises with their facilities needs.

Health club gurus Marv Wolfenson and Harvey Ratner built Target Center with private funding to bring the NBA back to Minneapolis in 1989. Later they had negotiations with a group interested in taking the franchise to New Orleans. The city now owns the arena and is working with Wolves owner Glen Taylor to renovate Target Center and enhance revenues while ensuring the team remains in Minneapolis.

The city of St. Paul and state of Minnesota answered mayor Norm Coleman’s pleas to replace the St. Paul Civic Center and return the NHL to Minnesota. The $130 million cost to build the Xcel Energy Center was a lot more than the potential funding needed to renovate Met Center and keep the North Stars in Bloomington. No one will argue, though, the “X” is a premier hockey facility.

All is quiet on the relocation front in Minnesota—at least for awhile. Our “doughnut shops” aren’t available to Los Angeles or any other city right now.

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